Local historian details former president’s military training in RI

CHARLESTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — In November 1943, the sky was humming above Charlestown, Rhode Island. The Navy built three new runways, and brought in dozens of Avenger planes in just one year.

The site had become a new training location to teach young pilots how to land an Avenger on an aircraft carrier. The youngest pilot, went by the name George H.W. Bush.

Bush would tell stories over the years of how he almost crashed on the shore of Charlestown several times while perfecting his craft.

“He did do some night flying, which scared the heck out of him, he said,” World War II Rhode Island author and historian Brian Wallin said. “When you’re up there in the dark, you can imagine what that’s like.”